Angel With Demon Wings
by Chroma Gyr
Summary: [Discontinued] Behind her eyes lies a dark past that threatens to destroy her present and future. Dante seems to have gotten himself caught in the middle of everything. Will this mysterious girl be able to save him and the world from the rising evil or will she fail?
1. I

**Hello all. This is a new ficcy I've been thinking about for quite some time now and I finally took the time out of my oh so busy summer vacation (Yeah right! I'm just extremely lazy) to write this. I will warn you now, this is a DanteXOC fic and if you don't like it, don't read it!

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I thought I would always have rotten luck with women. Just one-night stands. That's all I'll ever get…Not anymore. I think I've found her…Either that or it's just a dream. And if it is a dream, don't bother waking me up cuz I sleep like a rock.

I. The First Meeting

He walked down the street, searching for a bit of action, demon slaying, that is. The air was cold and crisp; a sign that snow was coming. The lone demon slayer smirked. Snow was always easier to work with. Dante likes the snow. He blended in with it. Except for his red coat. So, on missions like these, Dante would leave the coat home and go shirtless. The cold didn't bother him.

_'It'd be nice if I had someone to work with…So I wouldn't have to go on missions all day and never have any time to relax. We would split the work and get it done faster. Yeah…That'd be great…' _

Going on and on with his thoughts, Dante didn't notice the sound of gunfire nearby. He finally snapped back to reality when he walked right into someone. The figure quickly moved away from Dante and continued to run and fired her gun at whatever was following her. He took a second to look at the pathetic excuse for a demon and laughed. With one swing of Rebellion, the demon was gone. The running girl stopped, turned around and glared at Dante, "Thanks a lot! You completely ruined my plan!"

He scoffed, "Oh really? I think I saved you."

"No you didn't! I was perfectly fine!"

Dante took a few moments to scan over her body. Long, dark brown, hair. It was dark enough to almost be mistaken for black. Hazel eyes. And damn! She had a great figure. Slim but not too skinny. She had some muscle too. _'I think I died and went to Heaven…Somebody slap me and tell me this is a dream…' _

The girl became irritated. She didn't enjoy the idea of guys looking at her like that. Reloading her pistol she said, "What are you looking at! This ain't a roadside freak-show!"

There's something different about this girl. Something separates her from others. What is it? Was it the fact that she could handle a gun just as well as he could? Or was it her fiery attitude that caught Dante's attention? But…What is that strange energy surrounding her? It's strong…Almost demonic.

With all those questions running through Dante's mind, she began to walk away.

"Wait!"

She turned around. "What? I don't have time for chit-chat."

Almost too nervous to speak, Dante asked, "What's your name?"

A smirked tugged at the girl's lips. "Daneille." and she walked away.

_Danielle_…A name that would stick to Dante's mind for the rest of the night.

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**A/N: **Yes. I know. Not the best way to start it off and it's not really different. Well…That's just the way it started. This fic kinda hit me in a dream and I couldn't pass up the chance to type it up cuz if I didn't type it the morning after I had that dream, I would never remember it. 

**P.S. **In advanced, I will thank all peoples who reviewed my story…Or if you read it and didn't feel like reviewing it.


	2. II

**I'm back with a brand new chapter! Thanks to all who read and reviewed. And I would like to thank Chrome for that supporting review.

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II. A Black Eye and a Phone Number Later

Danielle…Her name and image still running through his mind. Just the single thought of her would send chills down Dante's spine. She was driving him crazy! He wanted her, needed her, desired her.

Hoping to get his mind off Danielle, Dante stopped at the local bar. He sat down, ordered his drink, and listened his surroundings. And when he finally got sick of the drunken guy sitting next to him smoking a cigar, Dante got up and left.

'_Does she have me under some kind of spell? Why can't I stop think about her? Get a hold of yourself, Dante! Take a deep breath and think about something else! …Like what?'

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_

Wiping the smeared blood from her face,Danielle entered an old, abandoned warehouse. _'It'd be nice if I didn't have to come back here every night…Too quiet here…'_

She climbed to the top floor of the warehouse and into a small bedroom. Newspaper clippings of demon sightings and wanted posters of criminals covered the walls.Danielle tugged a newspaper clipping from the wall and read the ad, "Hm…Job seems easy enough. And the pay isn't too bad either. Might be enough to get me an apartment. Hope that jerk from before doesn't know about this. He seemed like a pretty tough guy. Probably a demon hunter himself."

Looking out the filthy window,Danielle could see the moon. _'What luck. A full moon…Finally. I've been waiting a long time'_

She began to change. Her eyes were no longer a beautiful hazel. They became a dark crimson. Long, sharp fangs took place in her mouth. She fell to her knees and felt the sting of the spikes emerging from her back. Large bat-like wings grew from her shoulders. She screamed. The transformation was painful. But this isn't the first timeDanielle has gone through this. It almost killed her as a child.

The pain ended and Danielle could concentrate on getting rid of the light-headedness. _'Strange…It usually takes longer to get rid of this pain.' _During those painful moments of her demonic transformation, she was thinking of him. _'No. Don't think that, Danielle. He's no good for you. You're just stronger this time. That's why the pain isn't that bad this time.'_

After a few hours of deep meditation and total concentration on gaining self-control again,Danielle was able to hide her demonic features. Sitting in the warehouse didn't help much so she went outside, thinking that a long walk in the cool, night air would help her to relax.

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Dante walked the sidewalk. Being cautious of the area, he kept Ebony in his coat pocket, where it would be closer. Then it hit him, the strange energy. It was the energy that he felt when he was by…_Danielle_.

Fog was starting to roll in but he could see a shadow coming toward him. _'Damn…I hope it's her…' _It came closer. The shadow came into view. And, yes. It was Danielle. She was calm. Nothing was chasing her. Dante took this opportunity to finally talk to her. He walked toward her.Danielle continued to walk as if she never saw him. He had to make himself noticed somehow. So, he slightly nudged her shoulder. She looked up but her face showed no emotion for a moment.

He had to break the silence before she would leave, "Hey…"

She answered, but her voice was barely heard, "Hey…"

"Funny…This is the second time I ran into you tonight."

"Yeah…I was bound to run into you again. This city isn't a big place so you'll meet up with a few people twice sometimes." She turned her head away. His eyes…They gave her such a feeling, it can't be explained.

Dante put his hand on her shoulder. "I wanted to apologize for that first meeting."

Danielle pulled away from his touch. "It's not your fault. I'm just a loudmouth when I caught up in something."

He couldn't take it anymore! His heart began to pound. And without a second thought, Dante pulledDanielle close to him, crushing his lips against hers.

Instinctively,Danielle fought away from Dante's grasp and left him with one helluva black eye. The force of the punch caused Dante to lose his balance and fall.

"That's what happens when you take me by surprise…" She turned around and walked away. A small piece of paper slipped through her fingers and landed on Dante's chest.

Before he had time to stand up, she was gone. He looked at the paper and saw the numbers. His eyes went wide and a grin tugged at his lips. "She gave me her number…Even after what just happened…"

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**A/N:** **Done! But that ain't the end of this adventure, folks! Stuff is gonna happen. Once again, I will thank all those who read and review or just read. But when you leave a review for me, it's like fuel. I use those reviews to think of ideas for upcoming chapters.**


	3. III

**Ta-da! The next chapter! I would like to thank everyone for reading and reviewing. It really helps. I was shocked to see that people actually liked it. And to answer destructo888's question: No.Danielle is not a werewolf. If you read about her transformation description, she does not become a werewolf.

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III. Help Me So I Can Help You

Her pace was quick. She wanted to get home, shut the door, and lock it.Danielle was still in shock. She had never been kissed before, in her life. Her lips were still tingling from before.

Finally, she arrived at the warehouse. The emotions that were running through her were unbelievable. Danielle hated showing emotions other than anger. That's all she's ever felt. She never knew what happiness was or how it felt.

"Why is this happening? What are these feelings?"

She gripped her head and fell to her knees. Those feelings were making her sick. _'Is this it? Is this what it feels like…to die?'_

Danielle's uncontrollable emotions caused her to undergo another transformation. But it wasn't as intense as the one that happened before. The wings that were bat-like before were large, elegant, wings with black feathers. But…the spikes never came out of her back. Danielle's eyes never faded to crimson. She didn't develop the desire to kill.

She fainted. In the back of her mind was the picture of that face, _his_ face. Why was he always in her dreams? Thoughts of him always haunted Danielle. She couldn't get him out of her head!

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Dante lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling. With that one kiss, it was like he was seeing everything. He saw her soul. Dante saw how broken and dark it was. He wanted to help her. He wanted to put her soul together again, piece by piece. He wanted to help her escape the darkness in her soul. Most of all, Dante wanted to find his place in her heart.

It had to be… Dante cares about people who are close to him. But he cared for them like they're family. Danielle…She's a different story. _'Heh…Maybe I should believe in the saying "Love at first sight"'_

But he had to be careful. To Dante,Danielle was fragile and needed to be handled with care. On the outside, she was tough and fearless, but on the inside she was delicate and afraid. Dante would have to go one step at a time. He would have to gain Danielle's trust first.

He closed his eyes and whispered, "Help me, Danielle…Help me so I can help you. I can't do anything unless I have your trust. Once I have that, I can help you do anything…There's so much I want to do just for you…"

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It was as if his words reached her mind… She opened her eyes and looked through the open window on the roof. Now…It seemed like he wasn't haunting her mind anymore.Danielle got the feeling like she could actually trust someone.

His words…They were kind and gentle, not insensitive and harsh. That promise played in Danielle's mind over and over again. It made her smile. There was someone out there who cared about her.

Daniellenever asked him for his name, but she spoke it like it was the millionth time she's said it, "Dante…"

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**A/N:** I know the chapters are short but I don't have a lot of time to type everyday and I want to get the chapters to the readers A.S.A.P. But what I lack in chapter length, I make up for in numbers of chapters. This might be the last chapter I type for a while cuz I'm going to Ohio for a week and school starts soon. Bummer.

**P.S.** My brain needs fuel! I'm running low! Send me some reviews!


	4. IV

**Hello all! I'm back and with a brand new chapter! Hot off the press! Thanks to Eurazian, I have enough fuel to write another chapter or so before I leave for a week in Ohio. **

**Blah, blah, blah. Yadda, yadda, yadda. I'm just wasting space.**

IV. Hold onto Me and Never Let Me Go

For the first time in three years, Danielle could sleep peacefully, without any fear. But just when it seems that everything couldn't possibly get any better...it gets worse.

There she was, sleeping on the cold, cement floor of the warehouse. Danielle wasn't bothered by it. In fact, the ground felt soft and warm, almost like silk sheets with the heat of someone sleeping next to her. She could hear a heartbeat. It sounded so close.

Danielle moved to turn around but was stopped by a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. The feeling scared her, but the scent terrified Danielle even more. It wasn't Dante. It wasn't even familiar. She gasped.

"Shh…I will not harm you. Give me a reason and I will…" said a male voice. It sent chills up her spine.

Danielle bit her lip and felt his hot breath on her neck. _'Who is he? Where am I? Somebody…Save me...'_

She began to cry and closed her eyes tightly. Danielle choked as she spoke, "Let me go."

The man whispered in her ear, "Never…" His lips trailed down to her neck. Reashea wanted to beat the living daylights out of him. Fangs touched her skin lightly.

"Goodnight my love…" Fangs slowly pierced through her skin.

She woke up screaming. Beads of sweat rolled down her face and dripped to the floor. Danielle put her hand on her neck. There were no bite wounds. She looked around. Still in the same dark warehouse.

"It was just a dream…Right?"

Danielle needed reassurance. She still didn't believe that it was just a nightmare. It was almost too real to be just a nightmare.

Sleeping was no easy task for Dante that night. The voices in his head didn't make things any better. Screaming and crying.

"Danielle…"

He got up from the couch, grabbed his coat, and walked out. Dante ran down every street looking for her. It was almost hopeless. His human form was useless in a situation like this. Dante didn't like to use his Devil Trigger often. It was a pain in the neck to him. _'All right…I'll use it this time'_

Dante transformed_. 'This better work.'_ He took off running, trying to remember Danielle's scent. It wasn't easy to remember but it wasn't forgetful either.

It took Dante less than five minutes to catch her scent. It lead him to the warehouse. By that time, Dante's Devil Trigger had already faded out. He opened the door and stepped inside. Dark. Almost impossible for Dante to see his hand in front of his face.

He called out to her, "Danielle? You in here? Danielle?"

She jumped at the sound of someone calling her name but didn't run away and hide.

Danielle was still crying but mustered up enough voice to speak, "Dante…"

He rushed to Danielle and fell beside her. She flung her arms around Dante's neck and buried her face in his shoulder. Danielle felt protected when he was near. She didn't want him to leave. "Why did you come?" she asked.

Dante's answer was calm and soothing, "Because I made a promise to you."

Danielle whispered, "I trust you…"

Her words were bringing tears to his eyes. Tears of happiness, tears of sadness, tears of pain, joy, and love. Dante wanted to keep this feeling alive. He could feel her shattered soul starting to become whole again. He pressed his cheek against hers. Her skin…It was so soft and so cold. Cold with fear. Dante wanted to fight that fear. He wanted to fight for Danielle. This was something she couldn't fight alone.

Dante wrapped his arms around Danielle. He held her close and wouldn't let go. She didn't fight back.

'_This feeling…It's nice…'_

Danielle finally fell asleep. This time, she was positive that there was nothing to fear. Eventually, Dante fell asleep with Danielle in his arms.

**A/N:** Wow…With the right music, this chapter can bring tears to your eyes. You will understand the dream Danielle had later on. I'm not giving any hints!

You know how it goes. Send me reviews and I'll make a fresh batch of cookies.


	5. V

**I'm back and better than ever! I'm going to work harder and longer on my chapters so they give the story more depth. Thanks to Sam Valentine, I was inspired to keep this story up and continue to write it. Once Angel With Demon Wings is complete, I will edit the chapters and make it so much better. **

V. With the Memories Came the Past **Part: One**

Morning…Danielle's fairytale ending came to an end when everything came flowing back to her. What came back? Her past. When Danielle was young, she had lost her memory due to an unfortunate accident.

'_That day…everything changed…I was caught…by someone who I thought was dead. He abused me, physically and emotionally. Who is this "he?" He was my father. It was only a few months ago, when I was captured by his henchmen. They brought me to this…laboratory. I was stabbed with needles and knives, attached to machines, used like a lab rat.'_

'_Then…Everything went horribly wrong…My mind was too strong for the scientists to control. I was connected to a machine when suddenly, the lab exploded. The data coming from my mind overloaded to system. I don't know how it happened, but the machine I was connected to erased all of my memories. I luckily escaped with the knowledge of my name and my life. Everything else…the lab, the scientists, my father, went up into flames.'_

'_It was complicated to explain how I felt that day. Everything I knew was gone…All that was left was an emptiness I thought I could never fill…I was nothing but an empty shell.'_

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_**Let's take a trip down Memory Lane, shall we?**_

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Looking out a window at the snowy landscape, sat a young girl. She was no older than 13. Her name was Danielle. Her gaze was chilling. Cold enough to stop a heart from beating. That's why she was locked in a room with only a small window. No bed, no warmth, no love. She only had the clothes on her back and a small doll of a knight with black armor.

'_I know he'll come…I'll find him someday…'_

Those exact words always gave her hope. It gave her the feeling that she would escape this supposed "home" one day. Could she even call it a home? One meal a day. The door to the room was locked from the outside. She was always alone.

The door opened. Danielle turned around to see who entered the room. It was her mother, Alana. Danielle never knew it, but her mother loved her. She never spoke to Alana because she thought her mother hated her just like everyone else did.

Alana spoke in a tone that was calm and upset, "Danielle…They have chosen…"

Deep down inside, Danielle hoped that she was chosen to marry the son of the leader of the Werewolf Clan when she turned 18. It would mean that her days sitting in that room would end. But…at the top of her mind, Danielle would rather stay in that room than marry a werewolf.

She clenched her fist and replied, "Who have they chosen?"

By the time Danielle finished her question, Aland had broken out into tears, "You…They want you because of your demonic blood."

Everything went dark. Danielle had two options: Jump out the window and run or suck it up and face the music. Either way, she would lose. If Danielle ran away, she wouldn't survive for long. If she went through with marrying a werewolf, she would be stuck with something she didn't know; her life would be a living nightmare until the day of her death.

Danielle's gaze became cold. She stared her mother in the eye. Alana stood still. She never blinked.

Alana choked out, "Danielle…I-…I…" She fell to the ground…and died…

She stood there, relieved that her mother was dead. _'One down…and a whole world to go…' _But at the same time her mother died, Danielle's soul shattered. She tried to blink back the tears that were attempting to escape her eyes.

"Damn you…You and the whole fucking world!"

Danielle turned around and focused her gaze on the window. It shattered into a million little pieces. She grabbed the small knight, jumped out, and ran. Even if she did die of being in the middle of nowhere with no supplies, Danielle knew that it would be better than being anywhere else.

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**_It's been three years. She's still alive..._**

_'Heh…Kinda shocking…I'm still here. Though, I don't know where I am…Still…I should be happy to be alive…'_

Even if she was happy to be alive, Danielle was alone. Her only friend, the toy knight with black armor, no longer provided company. It wasn't enough. She lost all hope. _'I'll never find him…I'm on my own now. Don't go thinking someone's gonna come along and help you.'_

From that day on, Danielle never dreamed nor did she secretly wish for something good to come into her life.

**A/N:** Yay! My 5th chapter! WOOT! I would like to thank everyone who told me to continue. You were the ones who gave me a push in the right direction. So, to thank you, I didn't make a batch of cookies, I baked a cake for you. Hope you like chocolate. Thanks for reading this chapter!


	6. VI

**Geeze…With all this school crap, I don't have time to write a chapter! o.O That's bad…Buuuuut I just happened to have a free weekend or two and some days with less work soooo I worked extra hard on this chapter just for all the people who take the time to read it.**

**Note: I'm gonna skip around in this chapter. So it'll jump from one place of time to another. Please don't kill me! This is the result of ideas that should probably be in a chapter I already posted, hitting me. Once the story is done, I will clean up this mess.**

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VI. With the Memories Came the Past **Part: Two

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The day of her birth…It was decided…She was to be locked in a chamber, kept away from all humanity. She was given the Gift. This Gift was the ability to wipe out the mortal race. Her name was never spoken among humans. She would put an end to all of them. That quickly became a rumor that spread like wildfire.

But…Danielle didn't want that. She didn't want to kill everyone. She wanted to be understood, treated like a real person. But as she grew older, Danielle became more aware of her abilities. Most of her anger and hate was focused toward those abilities, but some hate was aimed at the humans who forced her to stay in that room. They never gave Danielle a chance to show that she could be a good person.

'_Humans…Worthless…All of them.'_

She looked down at her hands, wondering why she was treated so horribly. _'What did I ever do to them? Am I really a monster?'

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Today was a special day for Danielle. This would be her first and only time being **allowed** out of the chamber. She walked through the doorway and down the hall. Passing servants gave Danielle cold stares and whispered to one another. She just looked at them and continued walking.

Large doors opened to a long hall with sparkling marble floors. Crimson tapestries with elaborate stitching woven into them hung from the corners of the room. Danielle looked around, wondering why anyone bothered to clean this part of the castle. _'Something doesn't feel right…And why are there so many people here? They're all staring at me…'_

She walked down the hall cautiously, trying to listen to everyone whispering at the same time. _'They're talking about me…Why?'_ Danielle could feel tears starting to gather together at the corners of her eyes but she quickly blinked them away. She wanted to turn and run. The stress of people staring at her and whispering comments about her were more than enough. Danielle continued to walk forward. The image at the end of the hall was becoming clearer as she came closer.

It was a man with two boys. All three had characteristics that made them seem wolf-like. The youngest of the three had long, jet black hair and eyes that had an unusual amber tint. The middle one had short, shaggy, pale brown hair. His violet eyes glared at Danielle as she came closer. As for the eldest of the trio, he looked quite young for his age. Short, blond hair, deep emerald eyes. You'd think this character was in his mid-thirties.

'_Werewolves…' _That was the only thought in Danielle's mind.

The brown-haired werewolf was the first to break the silence, "I am Ivan, son of Kenric." He motioned to the eldest werewolf.

"And I am Raise, also a son if Kenric," said the youngest werewolf. Raise looked at Danielle like he was going to kill her...or worse...

Kenric whispered something into one of the guard's ears. Danielle swallowed the lump in her throat. She knew nothing good would come from this meeting. In the back of her mind, she wanted to kill them, all of them. The people staring at her, the werewolves, the entire world, at the moment Danielle wanted it all to die.

She clenched her fists and closed her eyes. A chilling, eerie feeling spread throughout the room. Many of the onlookers fled the area. Others hid behind the armored guards.

Kenric spoke in a raged tone, "Get her out of my sight! She's nothing but a monster and should be destroyed!"

Danielle's mother argued against him, "But Sir! Just giver a chance! She's only a child! It's not her fault!"

Kenric looked at Danielle then at Alana, "Fine. We'll discuss this matter over the feast." He looked at the guard and demanded, "You. Take the child back to her chamber. Make sure the door is locked."

The guard nodded and followed Kenric's orders. He grabbed Danielle by her wrist and dragged her back to her chamber. Danielle struggled to get away from the guard, but he just tightened his grip on her wrist.

Alana wanted to speak against Kenric's orders but was afraid to. She feared that if she spoke up against the leader of the Werewolf Clan, it would put her daughter and herself in a dangerous position. Alana looked up and saw the night sky through the window on the roof. She whispered, "Please…Please watch over my daughter…"

Alana felt so guilty. She was ashamed of herself for not standing up for Danielle. Now, more than ever, Alana hated her husband, Abas, for setting up this meeting in the first place. He wanted to get rid of his own daughter but couldn't because of her Gift. If Abas destroyed Danielle, the people would be happy, but he wouldn't. The vile creature that is unfortunately Danielle's father, wanted power and complete control over the world and all who inhabit it. The only way he would be able to gain control would be to form a bond with the most powerful clan. Abas would do anything to form that bond, even if it meant having his daughter marry one of Kenric's sons.

Alana finished her silent prayer and walked toward the dining hall. She carefully watched her husband converse with Kenric and only thought of the worst that could happen.

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'_How long has it been…? 18 years? I should've died long ago. Wish I knew why I'm still here…'_

She sat in a corner of the abandoned warehouse, comforted by the fact that she was alone and it was dark. Danielle picked up the knight in black armor and looked at it in the dull moonlight.

"I can't believe you're still here…in one piece nonetheless." Danielle smiled at the knight, "You'll be the only one who'll stay by my side, no matter what. I should be taking better care of you." her momentary smile faded quickly. She blinked back tears that were threatening to fall, "Stop crying. There's nothing to cry about. You're still alive. Be happy about that. Get over it. Everything's in the past now. That was then. This is now."

Danielle tried to fight her emotions, but lost. She hugged the toy knight tightly and cried, "It's all your fault! You wanted to get rid of me! I'm glad you're dead!"

* * *

Danielle bolted upright and broke up in a cold sweat. A night of well deserved sleep was not supposed to have bad memories full of anger and hate. She gasped to catch her breath.

"It's over…It was all just a dream…None of it was real…Was it?"

She felt the cold cement floor beneath her. For the moment, Danielle was safe. She looked around and saw a small piece of paper slipped between two crates. Danielle carefully pried the paper out from between the crates, trying not to rip it.

After a minute or so of releasing the paper from the crates, the note was revealed. Danielle unfolded the paper and attempted to decipher the scratchy writing.

_**Danielle,**_

_**I got the sense that something's bothering you. If you really have as much trust in me as you say, meet me at Bulls Eye tonight. I have to ask you something. It's important.**_

_**Dante**_

'_Hm…To go or not to go. That is the question. Sounds like he just asked me out on a date.'_

She laughed, "What harm could it do? At least I'll have something to do this evening."

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**A/N:** Finally. It's done. Chapter seven will come as soon as I can get another break from school and family life. Having a sister and parents that are constantly arguing doesn't help. Don't worry. I'm planning out the seventh chapter as you read this. So read it **slowly** so I'll have plenty o' time to write the chapter, type it, and add it to the fic.

Thanks for the support from all those who review. You guys really help me out a lot. Pumpkin pie for everyone! And if I don't say anything for the rest of October…**Happy Halloween**!


	7. VII

**A/N: Hello Everyone. I apologize for the long wait and for the ridiculous notes saying I was going to delete this story. I don't know what I was thinking. Anyway, here's a brand new chapter that took me months to write. I spent a lot of time over my winter break and every free day I possibly had to finish it. Enjoy! P.S. I'll say it once more: Ya Don't Like It, Don't Read It!**

VII: Walking In The Past

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Dante waited for her patiently at the entrance of Bull's Eye, one of the only decent bars around. He wasn't paying attention to the people and surroundings, but Dante was constantly thinking about everything he saw in Danielle's memories. They were frightening for him to watch, but he needed to know. Dante _had_ to understand what Danielle has been through. 

He thought about those scenes over and over again. It was becoming clear. Dante was beginning to see the abuse and suffering she had been through. She had a reason for being so cold.

_'What I don't understand is how could I see those memories? I don't' have any psychic abilities. Danielle probably doesn't want anyone to know what she's been through. No wonder she has such a hard outer shell. Her childhood and teenage years were nothing but hate and loneliness.' _Dante wandered off into his thoughts. Eventually, his mind traveled away from the subject. _'Now if only she would hurry up. I won't be able to stand here much longer without picking a fight with some punk.'

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Danielle paced back and forth before making a decision. Would she meet Dante at Bull's Eye or not? She scoffed, "Hell. I'll go. It's been a while since I've had a civil conversation with someone, nonetheless a guy. This'll be new…"

There was no decision for her to make about what to wear. It was just a casual outing to the local bar. Besides, no one around here ever gets dressed up. Plus, Danielle wasn't the owner of anything fancy.

Without even thinking, Danielle grabbed her gun and a spare pack of ammo. Over the years, she's learned the hard way to never go anywhere without a gun. She glanced over to a small glass case that was wrapped in chains. The case contained various weapons, from explosives and various firearms to multiple swords and daggers. _'Something tells me I'm gonna need a blade tonight too.'_

Danielle unlocked the chains and opened the case. She looked over the weapons carefully, taking in particular details about each blade. It took her only mere minutes to decide.

The sword Danielle chose was once one of her family's prized possessions. The hilt was decorated with skulls made of steel. At the top was a skull with large horns curling around its cranium. A spike was pierced through the middle of the skull and appeared out of its mouth. Different sized spikes were formed together and held the blade in place. Engraved on the blade were multiple symbols with unknown meanings. It gave off a brilliant white gleam with a blue tint.

"Hm…I haven't used this one yet. Guess there's a first time for everything, eh?"

She picked up her cloak that was resting on a crate, put it on and threw the hood over her head to conceal her face from the world. _'It's now or never. Just go! You might have a good time.' _She opened the door to the warehouse, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After only taking a few steps outside, the surroundings disappeared into a red light. Danielle shielded her face. A few seconds later, the warehouse, the alley, everything was replaced with an ancient ruined castle. _'This place…It looks so familiar…'_

The ground was covered with crisp snow that had recently fallen. It was a barren wasteland. There was no life. Nothing. Danielle studied the area, trying to put a picture in her head to figure out if this was once a place she really knew. She walked toward the castle, staring at the ground as she went forward. There was a set of footprints, smaller than her own, going in the opposite direction away from the castle.

Another glance at the small footsteps reminded Danielle that they were her own footprints. _'That's right…I ran away. They must've frozen over time. But…These footprints must mean…I'm back…? But how…?'_

Danielle was terrified to know that she had been brought back to a place she vowed to never return to again. Swallowing the rising lump in her throat, she continued to walk toward the castle.

* * *

Dante's patience was growing thinner and thinner with each passing minute. "Looks like I've been stood up again," he muttered before finishing his third drink of the night. The bar was empty tonight, which was a bit unusual for a normal Saturday night. _'Hm…No bar fights, no one playing pool and no crappy music on the jukebox…What the hell is going on?!' _

He quickly left the bar and speed-walked down the street. Silence. No voices, no sirens, nothing. "This has got to be a joke. You never hear nothing in this part of town," Dante muttered to himself. As he continued to walk, there was a voice; it sounded like a woman. "Protect her…"

Dante stopped dead in his tracks. "What?"

The voice spoke again, "The girl, you fool!"

"Wait…Are you talking about Danielle?"

"You help is desperately needed. Without you, she will be destroyed and her power will be used to throw this world back into darkness. Save her, son of Sparda…"

Dante groaned, "Again with me having to save the world?"

The woman replied, "You won't have to save the world, she will. Save her and your job will be done."

"Okay…So answer this: What's going on around here? Why is the city so damn silent?"

"They want her back," the woman whispered.

Dante questioned the old woman, "Who wants her back?"

She stepped out of the shadow and revealed herself to be a woman who seemed young for her age. "Please son of Sparda…save my daughter…I fear that my husband and his followers have already caught her," she said with pleading eyes as her solid figure began to fade away.

"Wait," Dante yelled, "How am I gonna find her?"

The woman spoke quickly, "You'll see…" And she completely disappeared.

Dante rolled his eyes, "Well that was helpful…"

Once again, the area was enveloped in red light. Dante was being teleported to the ruined castle in the wastelands. Only this time the ground wasn't just covered with snow. A trail of splattered blood was dragging along the ground.

'_Okay…A creepy castle in the middle of nowhere and a trail of blood…'_ He looked down at the many sets of footprints_. 'Looks like someone was beaten unconscious and taken to that castle…or whatever's left of it.'

* * *

_

The stone wall was cold against her back. She couldn't feel her feet touch the ground. Her vision was starting to come back into focus.

"Wha-? Where am I…?" She tugged at the chains that were restraining her arms and legs. Danielle looked around. _'Great…It's like being a kid again. I'm stuck in a chamber…Except this one doesn't have a window and I'm chained to a wall.'_

The large wooden door across the room creaked open. A shadowy figure began to appear on the wall. It looked familiar to Danielle. Though the figure might be something she knows Danielle felt that it wasn't good. Before revealing itself, the figure said, "So you're finally awake, love. It's about time"

_'Wait…I know that voice. Think Danielle! Think!'_

The figure stepped out of the shadow. He looked at Danielle with lustful eyes and smirked. Instantly, Danielle was terrified but spoke with a steady voice, "Raise…"

"I'm surprised. You actually remember me."

"How could I possibly forget a sick-looking face like yours? Plus, it was your idea to use me as a lab rat. My father was so proud of you, wasn't he?"

Raise chuckled, "True. Abas was proud of my brilliant idea, even though he really didn't need it. He wanted to know what you were really made of. The power we discovered in you was unimaginable. Abas contained that power and left you with nothing but painful transformations every full moon. Now you're worthless! The only good use you would be is as a bed slave!"

He approached Danielle cautiously, but wasn't hesitant. Danielle looked away; she didn't want to see Raise's face anymore. She just wanted to die. Raise grabbed her by the chin and forced her to look at him. He whispered into her ear, "There's no need to fear me, love. I won't hurt you." He unlocked the chains and held Danielle in his arms. His last sentence repeated in her mind over an over, having an enchanting effect on her.

'_No…Get away Danielle! Stop listening to him. Don't let yourself fall into this!'_

She mentally slapped herself, remembering that this is nothing to be soft with. Raise held her with a firm embrace. She didn't want to trigger something right then and there; it wasn't the right time. Instead, Danielle led him on. She was successfully fooling Raise into thinking that she was an angel, a devilish angel, just for him. She gave Raise a seductive look. So close. She almost had him.

Unfortunately, her plan didn't work for long. Raise shook his head. "Tsk. Tsk, Danielle. I'm so disappointed in you." He leaned down close to her neck and ran his fangs across the smooth skin. She began to panic. Danielle couldn't escape now. It was too late. He stopped over a particular vein and bit down, releasing a chemical into her blood through his fangs. Danielle could feel the poison going through her system; it was making her body go numb. Soon after the chemical began taking effect, Danielle passed out.

Moments after Danielle fainted, Dante casually walked into the chamber. He took one look around and said, "Torture chamber…A classic place to find a damsel in distress."

Raise turned around and looked at Dante standing in the doorway. He set Danielle down in a corner, where she would be out of the way. "I am afraid you are too late. She is lost to you," Raise said with a dark tone.

Dante pulled Ebony and Ivory from their holsters and aimed them at Raise. "Step away from the girl or I pull the trigger and you'll end up being the one who's lost."

"Indeed you will."

_And the battle has begun…

* * *

_

**A/N:** **Phew! I am so sorry if this took such a long time. State testing for school is coming up this week and I've been loaded down with work. Plus, babysitting takes a lot of my time away from typing up my chapters and updating them for readers to enjoy. Like I've mentioned before, once the fic is complete, I will edit the chapters a little more. So send some reviews, add fuel to my pen, and I'll keep writing. As for those who choose to flame this story…It's very cold where I am right now and I'm running low on wood so, all flames will be used to keep the fire burning.**


	8. VIII

**A/N: Another chapter. Got some time off from school, so I can get this up for the readers that actually appreciate my work. So without wasting anymore time on random stuff that just takes up space, here's another chapter for ya. Please accept my apology for being so lazy…But add the factor that I have to get an education on the side too…so yeah...Merry Christmas & Happy New Year everyone!**

VIII: Just the Beginning

Raise didn't move. He stared Dante in the eye, waiting for him to make the first move. He smirked, speaking in a low voice, "I hope you know there's no hope of saving her. She's long gone, demon slayer."

Dante raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? So why do you want her if Danielle's 'long gone'? Don't you have anything better to do than stalk pretty girls?"

The werewolf let out an echoing howl. His lightly tanned skin became covered with black fur. His physical human-like characteristics quickly formed into obvious wolf-like ones. Dante stood still, unafraid of the beast that stood before him.

Danielle weakly opened her eyes. The scene was blurry for a moment. _'What the…? Why is Dante here? He doesn't stand a chance against Raise…Idiot.'_ She stood up slowly, leaning against the wall for support. She was still regaining consciousness. Her body was still numb with a combination of shock, lack of energy, and fear.

Raise lunged at Dante. As he executed his movement, Danielle jumped in between them, taking the hit. Raise's razor-sharp claws plunged into her abdomen. Her face was expressionless. No sound escaped her mouth. She had experienced this before. It was a pain she had often felt in the past. More memories, bits and pieces of them, came flooding back to her, invading and plaguing what little space her mind could spare for thoughts.

When she thought her end was near, Danielle changed. Her mind was running on pure demonic instincts, while memories and thoughts were erased. Raise had no idea what he was up against anymore. He had lost the fight before it had begun.

The fearless werewolf laughed, "Are you trying to fight me, Danielle? You don't possibly believe you can defeat me, do you? Ha! You are nothing! Even with your demonic blood, you have no chance of ever winning!"

She grit her teeth harder. Her nails were digging under the flesh of Raise's arm. _'I'm not gonna let this bastard take me down. I've got business that needs to be taken care of. He's just in my way!' _Using what little stamina she had left, Danielle plunged her fingers into Raise's eye socket, causing his eyeball to pop out and hang by the nerves connecting it to his head. "You're. Not. Gonna. Stop. Me."

Raise let out a ground-shaking roar. Between the pain and loss of sight, there was not much more he could do. With his free hand, he continuously slashed at Danielle. She dodged as many attacks as she could, which wasn't many.

Dante watched as Danielle forced herself to fight. She continued to struggle against the werewolf. _'It's obvious that she's determined. Stubborn…But by the way she's holding out against him, at this point…she won't last much longer. Even if she dealt that unexpected blow to his eye, this guy's not gonna throw in the towel anytime soon'_

Danielle closed her eyes tightly and ripped Raise's hand out of her gut before he had a moment to do any more serious damage. She only had mere moments to catch her breath, "Dante…Get out of here…" Her voice was shaky and unsure; almost as if there was something else she wanted to say instead. Her eyes said go, but the deeper message was "Help me."

"I'm not going anywhere! You can't handle this! In case you haven't noticed, you're not alone in this fucked up reality!"

"This is none of your business! I've been fine on my own for years! I didn't need help then and I don't need it now."

Without any notice, Dante jumped at Danielle, shoving her out of the way of the werewolf's massive paw. She moved away from Dante as quickly as she possibly could. "Why are you here?" Danielle asked, "Are you really that stupid?" She huffed, "Stubborn bastard…Just go!"

Dante replied with a scoff, "It's not like I had a choice." Danielle brought her pistol up, aiming at Dante's head.

The demon hunter could only shake his head. "So here I am, trying to help you and you're gonna shoot me? What kind of thanks is that?" She pulled the trigger. The bullet missed Dante's head and shot through the forehead of the werewolf that was about to attack him from behind. Raise hit the floor with a loud thud. He would be knocked out for a while. Danielle turned around and started walking toward the exit of the chamber. She paused for a moment but didn't turn around, "You should leave the castle. It's not safe for you to be here."

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me. I've lived here almost my entire life. I'm bound to die here as well." She walked through the doorway of the stone chamber. Dante could faintly hear the sound of a "Thank you."

He called after her, "Danielle." She finally turned around. Her eyes were glazed over with tears that threatened to fall. "I have to fight, Dante. This is something I have to do now. If I don't stop my father now, I'll never have this chance again. I will fight. Don't try to stop me. This is my family business…You should stay out of it."

His eyes met her gaze. "Just because you have to fight, doesn't mean you have to fight alone. How many times am I gonna have to say that? Are you deaf, or do you think that your tough act is still working?"

"You shouldn't bother. You've saved the human race. I did nothing but cause trouble for it."

Dante shook his head and sighed, "Why do you have to be so damn stubborn? Look, until we find a way outta here, I'll be sticking around."

Danielle rolled her eyes. "Fine. Just try not to get in the way."

"You've finally decided to make an agreement."

"I don't need your comments."

"So…Where are we, exactly?"

"This castle, this entire realm, has no name. No one really knows where its location is. This place remains unknown. Hopefully, it'll stay that way. Right now, we're pretty much in the middle of nowhere. This realm is considered non-existent, hence why it has no name. Consider it an unknown parallel universe."

Dante stared at Danielle, dumbfounded. "Okay…" She chuckled lightly, "I knew you'd be confused. Don't worry. I won't load you down with useless ancient history. There's nothing you really need to know anyway. Quite frankly, I think it's a bunch of bull shit anyway."

Dante looked around at the many doors that were shut and locked. "What the hell was kept down here?"

"Test rats…In other words, innocent people. Failed experiments, unstable and successful experiments were kept down here…When all of this was alive; it was like a B-Horror movie."

"But how would you know what was kept down here? You were trapped in that room."

Danielle whipped around and drew her sword in one swift motion. Dante quickly caught the blade before it was brought down upon his neck. Her eyes flashed from brown to crimson for a moment. "How do you know that?"

"I don't know. It hit me in a nightmare or something."

"Answer me!" She added more force to her failing attack.

"…You showed me."

Danielle took back her sword. "Wha-…? What the hell are you talking about? I showed you? Were you, more like are you, high on something?"

"Adrenaline."

"…Smart ass…"

"Anyway, remember that night when I came to you? Well…Maybe I was just close enough to you to be able to see your memories."

"Sheesh! Talk about invading someone's personal space."

"Hey, it's not like I wanted to know what your story was."

"Well gee, thanks for sharing." She stopped in front of large double doors that were chained and locked from the inside. Danielle turned around, looking at the walls for any sight of a key. Dante stepped forward and aimed Ebony and Ivory at the old rusted lock and pulled the trigger. "Who really needs a key?"

Danielle stared at the bits and pieces of the broken lock. "That works too." Dante attempted to open the door. It wouldn't budge. He was quickly becoming frustrated. Danielle shook her head. She put her hand on the door and whispered words in a long-forgotten ancient language. As the markings on the door began to glow, she stepped back. "Try it now." Now, without a problem, Dante was able to open the door. He looked through the open doorway. "We should probably find somewhere to rest for a while, cuz this is probably gonna be one helluva trip. Plus, you ain't looking too good. After a fight like that, I'm surprised that I don't hafta carry you outta here cuz you passed out."

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Right now, we need to get to the main hall, find another secret doorway, and get into the laboratory. That's where we'll find my father."

"Sounds simple enough."

Danielle cringed for a second._ 'That's what you think…Just please…stay close…' _

As they left the prisoners' cellar, mysterious shadows began to move along the walls, following Danielle and Dante. Danielle clutched her stomach. The foul taste in her mouth was irritating. Her body was still healing from Raise's earlier attack. She felt a little light-headed and nauseous due to the poison still in her blood, but neither of these ailments stopped her.

From time to time, she would look over her shoulder, sensing another presence of someone or something behind them. _'Damn demons…I know they're here and they know I'm here, so why don't they just get their cowardly asses out here and fight?'_

Dante stopped and looked back at Danielle, "Are you sure you're okay?"

She stared at the ground, not wanting to admit that she was afraid, "Yeah…I'm fine." The same excuse being used over and over again was growing old quickly.

She sighed, "Why do you even care? This isn't any of your business." Her fear of what was to come in the near future brought out every opposite thought she had and every differing word she wanted to say.

Dante was growing tired of her questions and lame excuses. "Maybe it's because I actually care. You think you're alone in this. You're really not. Stop refusing to accept help from anyone. That will get you nowhere. I bet if I hadn't showed up, you would've been dead." He put his hand on her shoulder, "I know you're scared."

Danielle pulled away from Dante. "Nice use of words…Go write a romance novel." She walked down the hall and stopped in front of a door. "We'll have to stay here until daybreak. The great hall is infested with demons by now. We can't afford to waste energy on them. There's a bigger battle to fight."

She opened the door and walked inside. The room was old and covered in dust, with the occasional cobweb here and there. After taking in the expected features of the room, such as a broken window, cracks in the walls, and much more, Danielle began hacking away at a wooden dresser with her sword.

Upon entering the room, Dante's eyes went wide as he watched Danielle destroy a perfectly good piece of furniture. He jumped into action and grabbed her by the waist, and dragged her away from the pile of wood. "What the hell were you doing?!"

"Getting firewood. As you can see, there's a broken window and it gets very cold here at night. Plus, there's no moonlight on this side of the castle, so it's very dark."

Dante loosened his grip on Danielle's waist, even though he liked the feeling of her being so close. "So you're afraid of the dark, eh?"

"Here, I have a reason to be afraid of it. If you spent years here, locked in some room that was dark 24/7, it'd probably creep you out too. Back home, at the warehouse, I enjoy every minute of it. Why? Because I knew I was safe there," she said in a matter-of-factly tone.

While she worked on starting a fire, Danielle could feel Dante watching over her shoulder. She didn't care at first, but he quickly became an annoyance. "Is there any particular reason why you're looking over my shoulder and practically breathing down my neck?" She turned around to face him, not realizing how close he was to her. Their faces were only centimeters apart. _'This is your chance! You're so close to him! You've been dying to kiss this guy since the day you met!'_

She quickly turned away again. Her hair whipped him in the face. Danielle looked up at the moon, ready to cry, as if she knew her end was near. "You can't stay here…"

Dante raised an eyebrow. _'There's something around her. She's willingly absorbing it too. Energy…Demonic energy?' _

Danielle was beginning to change, except the altercations could be clearly distinguished this time. Her demon was taking over. She spread her wings, causing the dirt on the floor to stir, revealing tribal marks on the floor. Dante studied the marks rapidly. _'A blood offering…Don't tell me she's gonna bring something back from the dead. Please, I can't take one more zombie.' _

She reached for a dagger hanging on the wall, putting it to her wrist, slicing the skin open and letting the blood drip to the floor. As the small drops of the crimson liquid hit the ground, it hissed as it burned into the symbols.

Dante snatched the dagger from her hand, still unsure of what she was doing. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

She locked her eyes onto his. Her voice was low and dark, sending a chilling sensation down Dante's spine. "This is my battle to fight. There is nothing you can do. I will forever be lost. This is where I will end. Leave now, demon slayer. You waste your time here."

It was obvious to Dante that it wasn't Danielle there. He could see right through it. Even though he's only known her for a few days, Dante knew that she would've said something more of a smart-ass remark. Someone was behind this, using her body as a host and controlling her mind, like a master controlling its puppet.

As he was processing the scattered thoughts in his mind, the mystery person continued to speak through Danielle, "Leave now Son of Sparda! You are not welcome here."

The floor began to open, revealing a gaping black hole. Unfortunately, Dante had been standing in that cursed circle, and fell into the abyss of black, darkening his already ominous journey.

**A/N: Wow…I seriously need to get back into the swing of things. Once again, I apologize for my absence and the crappiness of this chapter. It's been sitting on my desk for months…I haven't done much with it…But I'm gonna start working hard. I'm coming close to wrapping this fic up, not exactly there yet, but it's coming along. So…yeah…You know the drill. Read & Review. Please fuel my pen!! And I am now accepting flames to use to keep a fire lit so I can toast marshmallows for s'mores. Yum! And plus, it's really, really cold here now…so yeah.**


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